Fair Trade Fridays – Join Our Live Discussions!
Did you know that on the first Friday of every month we go Live to talk about Fair Trade topics? Over the course of the last year or so, our team has gone Live on Instagram to discuss topics we find particularly important when discussing Fair Trade & Responsibly Sourced colored gems. Topics discussed in this series mirror the CGH Fair Trade Gems® Pillars: Ethics, Transparency, and Fairness. This means we talk about topics anywhere from ethical decision making throughout the supply chain, to environmental impacts and how those are communicated to the market, as well as fair labor and...
Cultural Integrity - The Lineage of Mexican Fire Opals
Every gemstone has a story - Here’s the story of MFO. We source many gemstones from around the world. By doing this, we connect with a wide range of different communities and are fortunate enough to learn how gemstones are a part of those cultures. This includes Fire Opal, one of the wonderous gems we source from Mexico. Here at Columbia Gem House, we refer to this material as Mexican Fire Opal, or MFO for short. MFO is a gorgeous fiery color that reflects its beautiful country, heritage, and cultural significance. Mexico is considered the land of the...
Alternative May Birthstones – What’s really ‘standard’ anymore?
Traditionally, when asked what the birthstone for May is, you might find Emerald to be your answer. What you may not find is the story of how Emerald wasn’t always the standard birthstone for May. Like many things in life, birthstones continue to shift and evolve over time. Here is a little background and history surrounding the birthstones of May. In ancient calendars, the emerald was a zodiac stone for Taurus and the talismanic stone for Gemini, both zodiac signs falling sometime during the month of May. Many know the gem associated with their zodiac sign, but the reasons behind...
To Our Columbia Gem House Community
Like so many, we are heartbroken over the events between Russia and Ukraine that continue to take place. As a business, one of our overarching goals has always been to proactively act toward creating a better world with what we do. As many of you already know, we also value transparency at Columbia Gem House, and because of this, we felt it important to acknowledge, seek a positive outreach, and to act. First, we want to acknowledge that for materials such as Chrome Diopside, Demantoid Garnet, and Jadeite, Russia has been a reliable source for many years in producing the...
The Navajo Relief Auction is Now Live!
Navajo Relief Auction
Let us share a little back story: Nearly a year ago, we started off our third year sponsoring the MJSA Responsibly Sourced Design Challenge. This year’s challenge presented a fictional story of a young Native American woman, dedicated to issues affecting indigenous people, at a time she is about to marry. Her mother begins thinking about what wedding gift to give her that also celebrates their heritage, which sparks an idea for a piece of jewelry utilizing family stones sourced from the land.
